Nomination teams

We charged five teams of two -- made up of one renowned TED speaker and one rising star from the advertising industry -- with finding and nominating the most compelling work of 2013 in the following categories.

Storytelling

Ads with an unmistakably powerful central idea or story arc that keep their audience’s attention beyond the one-minute mark. These long-form campaigns share a captivating story and speak authentically, producing quality content for a brand. Incredible examples of branded content, brand journalism are welcome.

Sarah Kay has been performing spoken word poetry since she was 14 years old. A featured poet on HBO’s "Def Poetry Jam” in 2006, she was also the youngest poet to compete in the National Poetry Slam. She has written two books of poetry and is the founder of Project VOICE, using spoken word poetry to engage schools and commnunities around the world in creative self-expression.

John Mescall is the Executive Creative Director of McCann Australia, which finished 2013 as the world’s most awarded agency. He is a regular award show judge and public speaker, named in the 2013 Creativity 50, Business Insider's most creative people in advertising, and AdAge’s most awarded creative director of 2013. He also really likes dogs.

Social good

An innovative and effective campaign to right a wrong or change the world for better. A public service campaign that offers a socially conscious idea in an entirely new way, making audiences pay attention as much for the ad’s dynamism as for the cause.

Alanna Shaikh makes global development issues accessible and understandable. In her TED Book, What's Killing Us, she explains the biggest challenges in global wellness, in a way that anyone can understand. She is the co-founder of AidSource, a social network for aid workers, and the co-founder of SMART Aid, which educates donors and start-up projects about international aid.

Fran Luckin is Executive Creative Director of Quirk Johannesburg. Previously Executive Creative Director of Ogilvy Johannesburg, Fran was named as one of the top ten most influential people in South African advertising in The Annual 2009. She has judged award shows such as the Cannes Lions, the Clio Awards and D&AD – and has also sat on the judging panel for the Apex Awards.

Creative wonder

Work that elevates the craft of advertising, that is ingeniously clever or technically brilliant, using technology in ways we’ve never seen. These ads showcase compelling writing, amazing musical compositions, cinematic art direction or high-impact design, and make information beautiful.

Lars Jan is a director, designer, writer, media artist and the artistic director of Early Morning Opera, a multi-disciplinary performance and art lab. His original works have been presented by The Whitney Museum, Sundance Film Festival, Symphony Space, EMPAC, REDCAT and more. He is a 2014 resident artist at the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA and a 2013 TED Senior Fellow.

Ari Kuschnir is the co-founder, CEO and Executive Producer of m ss ng p eces. He has led conversation-shifting collaborations with TED, GE, Common, Vimeo, Intel, Amex, The Climate Reality Project, and leading artists and thinkers. Featured in the Creativity 50, Sundance Channel’s “New Revolutionaries,” Adweek’s “Portraits,” Ari is also a judge for the Art Director’s Club.

Cultural compass

These are campaigns that touch a cultural nerve and represent the best example of a compelling trend or movement. These ads are an active part of cultural dialogue in a connected world.

Charlie Todd is the founder of Improv Everywhere. Based in New York, Improv Everywhere causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places and has executed over 100 missions involving thousands of undercover agents including the legendary Grand Central Freeze and the infamous No Pants Subway Ride.

Teressa Iezzi is the editor of Co.Create. She was previously the editor of Advertising Age’s Creativity, covering all things creative in the brand world. She is the author of The Idea Writers: Copywriting in a New Media and Marketing Era, about the evolution of brand creativity and the role of the creative.

Learning

When advertising is at its best, it can do more than sell a product or even inspire emotion -- it can teach its audience something new. As the educational sector begins to explore diverse possibilities for funding and implementation, we want to unearth the kind of ads that compliment and facilitate learning.

Michael Karnjanaprakorn is an entrepreneurial educator and the co-founder and CEO of Skillshare, an online community where anyone can offer courses and anyone can pay to take them, leading to the democratization of teaching and learning.

Matt Miller is the President and CEO of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), an organization whose members account for 80 to 85 percent of all nationally televised commercials in the U.S He acts as spokesman for more than 330 production companies which, along with another 200 affiliated firms, which make up the AICP membership.